Bracknell Forest Council Contact Channel Strategy 2011-2014

Contents

Page 1. Introduction 3 2. Basic Principles and Scope 5 3. Channel Hierarchy and Design Principles 6 4. Proof of Concept 8 5. Channel Strategies at Bracknell Forest - Local Context 10 6. Governance of this Contact Channel Strategy 12 Supporting Strategies 7. “Avoidable Contact” 13 8. Channel Shift 15 9. Digital Inclusion 18 10. Accessibility of Contact 20 Individual Channel Strategies 11. Web 21 12. Telephony 23 13. New Media (including Social Media) 25 14. Face to face 27 15. Post / paper Communication 29 16. email 30 17. Payment 31

Appendix A Mobile Applications (Apps) Guidance Notes 32 Appendix B Quick Response (QR) Codes 35

1 Introduction

1.1 The Customer Contact Strategy 2011 – 2014 was endorsed by the Council’s Executive in July 2011. The four key aims of the strategy are : • To review inbound customer contact and to develop and implement a channel strategy so that customers are encouraged, where appropriate, to make maximum use of online services. • To realise the potential of outbound proactive communication to promote services, maximise income and reduce inbound contact. • To take advantage of existing and emerging technologies to support customer service delivery. • To provide quality customer services which are cost efficient and value for money. This Contact Channel Strategy supports the Customer Contact Strategy and aims to deliver improved service delivery by encouraging customers and service users to use cost-effective contact channels, where appropriate.

What is a channel strategy? 1.2 Bracknell Forest Council has a responsibility to provide excellent services to the public and value for money to residents and service users. The channels through which public services are delivered and by which the public has contact with the Council, (be that via telephone, online, through social media, in person, or via other means), are a critical part of public service provision, and there is an ongoing impetus for them to be managed effectively and efficiently for everyone.

A channel strategy is an organisation’s plan for the channels it will use to deliver services to, and interact with, its customers. A channel strategy explains how an organisation will meet the contact demands of its customers using the resources it has available. A channel strategy is not simply a plan to move service provision to online channels.

Why is a channel strategy important now? 1.3 Customers receive a high standard of customer service from many public and private sector organisations. We know that our current levels of customer service delivery are well regarded and we need to maintain this view whilst achieving channel shift to lower-cost and/or more effective channels. To achieve this, we must continue to raise our own standards of service across all the channels used by, and offered to customers.

In order to meet the needs of customers, Bracknell Forest Council must provide services that are: • Easily accessible • Simple to use • Streamlined • Convenient • Cost effective • Robust

It is also important to bear in mind the target audience’s access to technology, the type and complexity of the contact, their personal preferences as well as their skill sets when selecting channels

Rising internet use and customer expectations of accessing public services online present an ongoing opportunity for public service providers. Competent online services are easy and quick to use, available whenever customers need them and have a relatively low administrative burden. Managed well, online access to services is a very effective channel with considerable benefits for customers.

Almost 42% of residents use the Council’s website, so we are well-placed to build on this and extend the use of our website still further by channel shift. We must however also meet the needs of people who do not (yet) have access to the internet. The Office for National Statistics reported in February 2012 that across the country, 8.2 million adults have never used the internet, which represents 16.3% of the adult population. ‘Digital Inclusion’ therefore is a core element of any government or public sector channel strategy.

The need for insight 1.4 The process of developing and implementing a channel strategy needs to be guided by insight, specifically relating to : • The customer • The services the Council is providing and each service area in question • The current delivery channels at the Council’s disposal as well as those that may be available to be, or need to be, used in future • Other Council-specific factors that may have an impact on service provision and delivery

It is also important to understand the wider online services market, as expectations of online services are driven by customer experiences of using similar services of other organisations.

Organisational challenge 1.5 In considering a channel strategy, there is often a considerable challenge and change to existing Council structures. A channel strategy needs to become an integral part of the structure of the Council and the way the objectives of the Council are realised. It cannot be super-imposed or retro-fitted onto existing practices and as such is likely to require or precipitate considerable organisational change and process re-engineering.

We also need to recognise that people will use different channels not just for different types of interactions, but also to suit their own convenience. Particularly at local level, an integrated channel strategy is required that takes into account the varied ways in which local people may want to interact with the Council. Overarching channel strategy

1.6 Bracknell Forest Council will a. make access to its services available through appropriate and cost effective contact channels designed with the needs of its individual customers and council taxpayers in mind. b. seek to encourage greater usage of the most effective contact methods, by creating a series of deliberate and targeted channel shifts. c. not discriminate against any individual by limiting the choice of contact methods available. d. find ways in which to deliver services effectively but at lower cost, such as reducing volumes of phone and face-to-face enquiries e. make significant cost savings through clear management of customer access. f. manage contact channels together to reduce volumes, with the use of full data. g. design processes that reduce the need for customers to make contact multiple times to complete one transaction

2. Basic Principles and Scope

Purpose of strategy 2.1 To outline the broad principles for the ways in which Bracknell Forest Council will deliver it’s services through a range of contact channels that provide better value for money, are more accessible and are designed with the customer in mind.

Scope 2.2 This strategy document sets out the basic principles by which Bracknell Forest Council will deliver its services to the public through the contact channels currently available.

Contact channels in scope include: • face to face (at Council receptions or in the customer’s home) • email • internet (including website, social media, internet kiosks, partner and commercial websites) • digital TV • telephone, including automated telephone technology • mobile technology (including mobile website, SMS text messaging, apps) • post • printed material, such as Council leaflets • payments

In addition, new media and emerging technology will be considered to supplement or enhance the contact channels currently available

2.3 This document focuses on three key types of contacts between the authority and the customer

• transactions (e.g. making an application or a payment) • interactions (e.g. obtaining advice or public consultations) • two-way information provision (e.g. reporting a fault or change of address)

2.4 This strategy is relevant to the nature of the services provided by the Council and will ensure that its services are provided through a range of contact channels appropriate to the customers’ individual needs and preferences in a non-discriminatory way.

3. Channels hierarchy & design principles

3.1 The choice of contact channels available to the public is growing all of the time as new technologies are developed and released. For example in the last five years we have seen the emergence and growth of channels such as digital social media (Facebook and Twitter), mobile internet, interactive TV and more recently mobile phone applications (apps).

3.2 Without a channel strategy many organisations typically adopt one of two approaches to using these channels by either • launching all of their products and services on all new channels without much thought to the relevance and cost of doing so, or • focusing on switching their customer contact to the cheapest channel (often assumed to be the internet) without much thought as to the relevance of this channel to their entire customer base.

3.3 There is however a generally accepted model for the effectiveness of the major channels of contact available today as shown below

3.4 What this model shows is that as we move up the triangle, the cost of delivery typically gets cheaper for the organisation. However, there is the risk of higher transactional costs towards the top of the triangle due to potential increases in avoidable contact or multiple contacts for re-assurance or clarification. For some types of contact a greater level of human contact is required, particularly for contacts that require some level of reassurance.

For example : A person receives a letter asking for a bill to be paid, or recovery action will be taken. The amount has now been paid and the person seeks reassurance that payment has been received and any action terminated. The person is unlikely to log on and have a look at the organisation’s website’s FAQ page for reassurance (even though this might be the most cost-effective solution for the council). Instead, the person may be more inclined to ring the council to request a letter confirming that payment has been received. In this example, there may be a case for having online FAQs relating to debt recovery in terms of best practice, but there is probably little chance of shifting this individual contact online.

3.5 It is therefore vital to fully understand each type of contact and the level of reassurance that the customer is likely to require before focusing the organisation’s efforts on the design of any contact channel for that service.

3.6 However, there may be little hope of shifting the channels that a certain group uses if that group simply doesn’t access that channel. Therefore, it may not be a good use of corporate time, and taxpayer’s money, to attempt to shift some contacts online. Conversely, mobile telephone penetration is very high amongst other groups who may not have a PC, so SMS messaging might be a good channel for them. Customer insight goes a long way in the design of any channel strategy.

3.7 Face to face contact refers not just to contact at a Council location, such as the main town centre reception at Time Square. Due to a person’s vulnerability or specific requirements, contact could take place in the customers own home, when the opportunity of a personal visit may resolve all of the customer’s requirements and enquiries in one contact. Whilst the visit has an associated cost, responding at a single point of contact is preferable to a series of individual contacts and provides a joined-up approach for the benefit of the customer and Council.

3.8 There are even more factors to consider including “channel hopping”, (an individual’s propensity to use different channels for the same transaction depending on what is convenient to them at the time) and the public’s increasing confidence in new channels that develops over years and sometimes months, creating a continually changing landscape.

3.9 The key factors to an effective channel strategy are therefore :

1. Detail - the deliberate design of the channel strategy for each type of service, bearing in mind the level of human interaction required and the needs of the targeted customer base

2. Fluidity – the constant reviewing of the effectiveness of the channel strategy for each type of contact bearing in mind changing technologies, channel hopping and changing customer habits

3. Simplicity – the optimum channels for the organisation should be the easiest to use for the customer to drive a shift in customer behaviour

4. Inclusion – no group should be denied access to a service because of disability, language or cost of the access channel (e.g. mobile phone costs, broadband access). Options should be made available other than the council’s preferred method of contact.

5. Cost effectiveness – particularly in the current economic climate, finding ways in which to deliver services effectively but at lower cost will be increasingly important.

4. Proof of concept

4.1 Bracknell Forest Council has had a Customer Contact Strategy since 2007. The initial strategy concluded in 2010, to be built-on by a strategy for 2011 to 2014, which was endorsed by the Council’s Executive in July 2011. In line with the explicit objective to ensure all channels come under a single point of contact, web services transferred from ICT Services to Customer Services in September 2011. This Contact Channel Strategy is a key objective within the Customer Contact Strategy 2011 to 2014 to improve the fluidity identified in 3.8 above.

4.2 Customer contact channels are continually evolving as too, are the enquiries which are handled by Customer Services. There is also the growth in the use of online self-service through the Council’s website. The following table outlines customer contact over the last three years through three specific channels :

emails to Phone calls to Unique Website Customer Total contacts 352000 visits Services 2008/09 182,431 1,564,527 13,409 1,760,367 2009/10 163,486 1,670,249 13,930 1,847,665 2010/11 146,534 1,873,391 14,666 2,034,591

Contact Channel Strategy

Phone calls to 352000 (in 10,000's) Unique Website visits (in 100,000's) emails to Customer Services (in 1,000's)

2008/09 2009/10 2010/11

Note : The number of phone calls relates only to calls made to the Council’s main number of 352000, as data is not yet available across the whole Council. However, the recent implementation of an upgrade to the telephony system provides data about inbound phone calls for service areas using this upgrade.

The above table demonstrates an increase in annual unique website visits of 19.74% over the three years. Over the same period, there has been a reduction of 19.67% in telephone calls to the Council’s main number of 352000. The growth in emails to Customer Services shows a 9.37% increase.

The number of followers on Twitter and Facebook continues to increase. At the beginning of January 2012, there were 2,724 followers on Twitter and 1,326 on Facebook, a five-fold increase in four years.

The total number of inbound emails across the council is unknown. In any event they would also include emails not to be counted for this purpose, as they were not of a customer service nature.

An average of 2,267 visitors per month, visit the Council’s primary reception area at Time Square north. Consistently, 45% of visits relate to enquiries about benefits, 26% to housing options and 6% to hackney carriages, with the remaining 23% about a wide range of service enquiries.

Contact channel costs (based on the SOCITM survey of data for 2010/11)

Phone calls to Web Time Square north 352000 reception Cost per phone call Cost per visit Cost per visit 2010/11 £2.75 £0.16 £14.63

4.3 Customer satisfaction

• Customer satisfaction levels have remained static for telephone contact with the main Council phone number of 352000 at around 93% either “good” or “excellent”.

• Customer satisfaction with the website has increased from 44.78% in 2008/9 to 45.17% in 2010/11. This level of satisfaction is in the top quartile nationally. With an increase of over 15% in overall customer contact in the three years between 2008/9 and 2010/11, it would be fair to say that more customers are engaging with the authority than ever before, mostly as a result of our public website’s continuing success. At almost 42%, the Council’s website currently has the highest usage by residents of any local authority in the country, up from almost 37% in 2008.

• Customer satisfaction at the reception at Time Square north shows that 100% of customers feel that they have received a good or excellent service. A survey undertaken with customers after they have been served asks them about the level of service received from the Customer Services Advisor, waiting time and whether the enquiry was resolved at the first contact.

4.4 The council has participated in the Society of IT Managers (SOCITM) channel value benchmarking exercise, submitting data in May 2011 for 2010/11. Benchmarking compared service delivery, costs and customer demand analysis across a range of contact channels, which primarily were face-to-face, phone and website.

4.5 In addition, SOCITM produced a publication in February 2011 entitled “Better served: customer access, efficiency and channel shift”. Ten key recommendations were identified, which this strategy aims to develop for Bracknell Forest Council :

a. Councils can make significant cost savings through better management of customer access. b. Cost reduction comes from reducing volumes of phone and face-to-face enquiries c. There are three main ways of reducing call and face-to-face volumes without reducing customer satisfaction; more enquiries resolved first time; fewer ‘avoidable contacts’ and more ‘self-service’. d. Customer channels must be managed together to reduce volumes. e. Full data from all channels is needed to manage customers efficiently: it is unlikely to be available where channels are managed separately. f. Collecting customer data for analysis to identify improvement is difficult, but not impossible. g. Benchmarking highlights variations in management of customer access and opportunities for improvement. h. Data analysis will reveal opportunities for front and back-office collaboration in cost-saving process improvement. i. Maximising customer access efficiency requires an excellent website integrated with all other customer channels. j. Customers need to be made aware of services on the web and be encouraged to use them.

5. Channel Strategies at Bracknell Forest – Local Context

5.1 The local context is covered in detail in the Customer Contact Strategy 2011 – 2014.

5.2 The Council is in a strong position to use technology to better serve its customers as household internet access in the South-East is almost 70%.

5.3 The Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM) Take Up Survey shows that 41.7% of residents use the Council’s web-site, which is the highest level of take-up of a local authority web-site in the country. The monthly average use of the web-site is 104,000 visitors and 604,000 page views. 63% of users use the web-site to find information and the most viewed topic by far is the Council’s Leisure facilities. SOCITM report that the failure rate for users not finding what they were looking for is 15.8%, which is top quartile performance.

5.4 86% of the population in the South East currently have access to digital TV channels.

5.5 Whilst Bracknell Forest is in a strong position to promote electronic access as it is likely to have higher than average access to digital media, it must be borne in mind that our residents will span all income groups. Therefore this channel strategy includes a section on “digital inclusion” at point 9 below. Bracknell Forest’s population is made up of over 114,700 residents, each with specific needs and preferences as to how they would like to contact the authority.

5.6 This integrated channel strategy seeks to provide a full range of choices of access designed to ensure that no individual, group or community is disadvantaged through lack of access to the services the authority offers. The Council has access to a translation and interpretation service, and at town centre receptions the language line service is advertised and hearing loops and text talk etc.

5.6 The Council is conscious that not everybody has access to the internet, so access is provided free of charge in all the libraries across the borough. In addition, free access to the council’s website is available at town centre receptions. Some service areas have known low access levels, in particular, customers of adult social care and those with benefit related enquiries and also, the tenants of Bracknell Forest Homes. The Council provides training in IT skills working with partners including Bracknell and Wokingham College and Bracknell Forest Homes. Funding is provided by Bracknell Forest Council’s Adult and Community learning team.

5.7 The results of the Older Person’ Communication Audit undertaken in May 2010 showed that their contact channel preference was:

Telephone In person By email Via website By letter 49% 23% 11% 6% 6%

When asked why do they choose their preference, the results were :

Convenience Ease of use Prefer human Speed of use Lack of access to contact other channels 24% 20% 15% 14% 11%

6. Governance of this Contact Channel Strategy

6.1 Bracknell Forest Council’s Contact Channel Strategy and its implementation and delivery will be the responsibility of the Director of Corporate Services through the Customer Contact Strategy Group, who will have overall responsibility for the implementation of the strategy.

6.2 Progress of this strategy will be reported to the Council’s Executive on an annual basis as part of the Customer Contact Strategy 2011 – 2014, and may also be reviewed periodically by the Overview and Scrutiny Commission. The Executive member with responsibility for Customer Services will also receive regular reports on progress.

6.3 The overall Customer Contact Strategy Action Plan shall be monitored for progress at six monthly intervals throughout the year and the Contact Channel Strategy Action Plan updated annually.

6.4 These governance arrangements should ensure that there is consistency of service delivery standards across all of the contact channels and the associated services that the Council offers.

6.5 The Customer Contact Strategy Group will be responsible for ensuring that the contact channels used for delivering services are:

• Easily accessible • Simple to use • Streamlined • Convenient • Cost effective • Robust

6.6 Where self service alternatives exist, customers will be pro-actively encouraged to use them, raising their awareness for next time.

6.7 Contact volumes across our main access channels will continue to be measured and analysed by the Customer Contact Strategy Group to continue to define targets of phone call or reception visit reduction, and self-service take- up. 7. “Avoidable contact” strategy – Unnecessary customer contact

To reduce the need for customers to contact us, but when they need to, it should be via the most cost-effective channel convenient to them

7.1 The Council is a fundamental point of contact for the customer when seeking access to public services. The customer experience for both customers and businesses when contacting the council should be one which is responsive, timely and efficient.

7.2 However, the Council and our customers also have limited resources and want to interact as efficiently as possible. By identifying customer contact that is ‘avoidable’, the council and its partners are better placed to redesign the way services and information are made more accessible for our customers, so they do not have to make unnecessary, valueless contacts which are both frustrating for the customer and inefficient for the Council.

7.3 Bracknell Forest Council will work to design processes that reduce the need for customers to make contact with the public sector multiple times to complete one transaction.

7.4 The brief existence of the local government indicator, known as NI 14, firmly established the concept of “avoidable contact”. Whilst the indicator only survived for just over one year (2008-9), the concept is worthy of any channel shift strategy, on the grounds that any contact which could be avoided does not need to be shifted to a more cost-effective channel.

7.5 Avoidable contact is a measure of how services are performing as a whole. The assessment of whether a contact is avoidable relates only to what caused the customer to make contact. The guidance of the I&DeA states that contact should be avoidable if one or more of the following occurs :

A the customer is seeking unnecessary clarification B the contact is caused by poor signposting or poor call transfer to council services C there is repeat contact with the customer, who is providing the same information D the customer is progress chasing or reporting failure to deliver a service E there is repeat contact due to premature closure of a previous contact

Actions required to reduce avoidable contact include : • being clearer up-front about our actual (as opposed to our notional) service standards • confirming agreed actions with a brief email or text message and contacting people in advance to remind them of appointments • actively informing customers of a delay, explaining why the delay is occurring and giving a new timescale • using plain English in written communications and on the web • making people aware of what can be done electronically when they phone or visit us with a specific type of enquiry

7.6 Key actions to reduce avoidable contact

1. The Customer Contact Strategy Group and individual service areas will regularly look at examples of avoidable contact and determine opportunities to reduce the needs for customers contact us, and commission work to provide reductions

2. We will improve the number of enquiries we are able to deal with in one contact by working more closely with our service areas across the council and improving information flow

3. Where evidence exists within the organisation, we should avoid asking for customers to provide it again, when applying for a service, for example, the use of council tax database to prove residency in the borough

4. Increase the numbers of enquiries resolved at first point of contact by reviewing processes with service teams to change the hand-off point or improve information flow between front and back offices

5. Participate in any national or local efficiency projects that aim at reducing the need for unnecessary contact with us

7.7 Action plan for 2012/13 to reduce avoidable contact

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date AC1 Broaden the Tell-Us-Once service, used for Head of March registering a death, to more service areas. Democratic & 2013 Registration Services AC2 Use telephone call, face to face and email Chief Officer: March data, and customer feedback, to identify Customer 2013 areas of improvement within the council and Services work to eliminate waste, process failure and unnecessary cost to the customer or the Council. AC3 Implement a system of recording and Chief Officer: March investigating avoidable contact to identify Customer 2013 areas and processes which could be Services improved for the benefit of the customer or the Council.

8. Channel shift strategy

To design accessible, efficient and user friendly means of contacting the council and then encourage our customers to use the channels that work best for them

8.1 Channel Shift is the process by which organisations seek to encourage customers to access, or interact with, services via channels other than those to which they normally choose.

8.2 Deliberate channel shift is the design and marketing of effective and efficient channels because they are the most appropriate channels for the type of contact, customer and organisation in question. Channel shift forms one part of an overall channel strategy, and implemented well it can lower costs, build reputation, empower the customer and improve the overall service proposition. Shifting customers to particular channels involves behaviour change on the customer’s part, but once they are aware of the channels available, they will use the one that works best for them.

8.3 Bracknell Forest Council will encourage residents to shift to new and more effective channels.

Top Ten Enquiries by Channel The following table shows the top ten service requests in order, based on data for 2010/11, with the most popular first.

Face-to-face at Telephone to Time Square Website 352000 north reception 1 Benefits Waste & Order a brown recycling bin for garden waste 2 Housing options Environmental Report a faulty health street light 3 Council tax Roads highways Council tax – pay and pavements by direct debit 4 Hackney carriage Repairs to council Customer buildings enquiries 5 Planning Trees Order a blue recycling bin 6 Blue badges Electoral services Blue badge 7 Licensing Street cleansing Council tax – apply for a discount 8 Concessionary Bulky waste Report damage fares collection to the highway 9 Single adult Parking Report a street support cleansing issue 10 School School Council tax – admissions admissions moving into the borough

8.4 Key actions to create channel shift

1. Wherever possible, staff will use the public website to transact and answer enquiries in their day to day work to ensure that the site is fit for purpose for our residents and users

2. Promote the use of the Council’s website through effective marketing, whilst reducing marketing of other channels, as appropriate. Use our communications and marketing expertise to direct customers to the most appropriate channels.

3. Compare the effectiveness and usage of different channels for each service and seek to shift contacts to the most appropriate channel(s).

4. Business cases will be prepared to move more transactions online (including information transactions).

5. Regularly analyse the top enquiries by channel, as outlined at 8.3 above, with the aim to proactively move more of these contacts to the website and include specific actions in the annual action plan for channel shift.

6. Engage with front-line staff to assist and inform the best design and construction of self-service processes to maximise customer take-up

7. Increase the range of online transactional services available through the website and promote them. Transactions across all channels will be reviewed and may be withdrawn or users signposted to more effective channels where appropriate

8. All new services, including information services, will be designed around the user for 24/7 web access first, wherever possible, and use the web as a single source of information

8.5 Key Performance Indicators

Reduce the number of inbound phone calls by 10% over the life of this strategy.

Aim to increase unique visitors to our website by 10% over the life of this strategy.

8.6 Action plan for 2012/13 to create channel shift

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date CS1 The council’s website and mobile website Chief Officer: April 2012 will be re-developed. Customer Services CS2 Implement a promotion plan for the re- Head of Comms & April 2012 developed website Marketing CS3 Promote online and transactional Head of Comms & September services when the re-developed website Marketing. All 2012 is publicly launched. service area managers CS4 Investigate developing customer Chief Officer: December registration with our web site to Customer Services 2012 encourage customers to engage in on- line services, check their own records, log and monitor service requests or fault reporting, whilst maintaining their data accurately CS5 Obtain email addresses for customers, Chief Officer: Ongoing where possible, to support channel shift Customer Services from post to email. CS6 Transaction abandonment on forms on Web Services Ongoing the website will be analysed each month Manager to see where transactions are failing and corrections made accordingly. CS7 Improve online access and use of the Policy & December Family Information Service. Commissioning 2012 Manager (CYP&L) CS8 Develop an online booking process for Chief Officer: December the removal of bulky waste. Customer Services 2012 CS9 Develop an online booking process for Chief Officer: December the pest control. Customer Services 2012 CS10 Implement an online booking process for Chief Officer: December repairs to council buildings - reactive Customer Services/ 2012 maintenance. Chief Officer: Property CS11 Improve online access and use of the Chief Officer: December school admissions process. Strategy, 2012 Resources & early Intervention (CYP&L) CS12 Increase the number of online leisure Chief Officer: March bookings. Leisure & Culture 2013 CS13 Develop and implement an approach to Web Services December open data to satisfy the requirements of Manager 2012 transparency. CS14 Increase the number of library Chief officer: March transactions that are e-enabled. Leisure & Culture 2013

9. Digital inclusion strategy

To aim that customers who do not have access to digital channels at home or work are not disadvantaged when communicating with the Council

9.1 Whilst almost 42% of residents use our website and household internet access in the south-east is almost 70%, there is potentially as many as 30% of local residents who do not use online channels. Exclusion from access to digital channels matters for these users, especially as the digitally excluded group includes socially excluded and seldom heard groups who are likely to have the greatest needs from public services.

9.2 For some years now free internet access has been provided in all of the borough libraries. Access to the council’s own website is available at the town centre receptions. In addition, the council provides free introductory computer courses for adults in Bracknell and Sandhurst at its two UK Online centres, where they can learn to use email to contact friends and relatives or ‘surf’ the internet to discover the wealth of information and facilities available online. Courses are also delivered by Bracknell Forest Homes funded by Bracknell Forest Council.

9.3 It also matters for the delivery of efficient public services, because when people cannot access services online they invariably access them via alternative means which are generally more expensive. Again, the priorities set out in the Digital Britain report reinforce the importance of digital inclusion; the report sets out the Government’s plans to drive digital participation in the context of the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and the proposed Digital Switchover of Public Services programme which is due to start in 2012. The report also reiterates the Government’s commitment to ensuring that public services online are designed for ease of use by the widest range of people.

9.4 Bracknell Forest Council actively supports the “Race Online 2012” campaign with it’s “GO on, Give an hour” initiative. These aim to encourage more people to use the internet and online services. One of the councillors has become the Council’s advocate for this initiative.

9.5 It is therefore important that any channel strategy includes plans for communicating these seldom hard groups.

9.6 Key actions to increase digital inclusion

1. Continue to provide free public internet access to the Council’s website at our main town centre reception, and to the internet at libraries

2. Provide assisted access to our web site where requested via the phone, town centre reception and libraries

3. Provide and support learning working with partners via our libraries and other locations for customers to develop or improve their IT skills.

4. Widely promote the full range of access channels available, as appropriate

5. Seek opportunities to offer access to our website through partner organisations

9.7 Action plan for 2012/13 to increase digital inclusion

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date D1 Promote and encourage the use of key Head of Comms & March 2013 contact channels to all audiences, with Marketing. All particular focus on those groups service area accessing services less often. managers. D2 “Wifi” access is to be provided in our Chief Officer: May 2012 libraries and leisure centres. Information Services D3 Upgrade public access terminals at our Chief Officer: May 2012 libraries and leisure centres. Information Services D4 Hold an awareness event at the Chief Officer: October reception at Time Square to promote Customer Services 2012 digital inclusion. D5 Coordinate support for national Chief Officer: March 2013 initiatives around “Race Online” to Customer Services encourage people to develop or improve their skills to use online services. D6 Promote e-book and e-audio services Head of Libraries During 2012 provided via public website and by direct contact with residents. D7 Support local initiatives, including Grow Your Own During 2012 LearnDirect provision and arrange a Project Manager series of relevant IT courses to (CYP&L) encourage people to develop their IT skills at the Council's two online centres.

10. Accessibility of contact strategy

We will provide a full range of contact channels for each of our services and enhance access to those for customers with special requirements

10.1 In the context of this Contact Channel Strategy, accessibility of contact refers to the ease or difficulty that a customer may experience whilst using different electronic access channels to obtain services from the authority. For example, someone with hearing difficulties may find the telephone unusable and may prefer to communicate through email. Equally a customer who does not have English as their first language may not be able to access any contact channel without appropriate translation services.

10.2 Key actions to provide accessibility

1. Continually engage with groups representing those with specific requirements for the way they contact us and ensure that an appropriate choice of channels is available to those individuals

2. Ensure that we widely advertise our choice of contact channels through all publications and services, particularly to seldom heard groups

3. Provide access to a translation and interpretation service to allow easy access to the authority for all through the face to face, telephone and web channels

4. Provide a range of language and accessibility options where practical on our website and when it is not practical to do so to clearly indicate how a customer can obtain translation services or obtain information in a format suitable for them.

5. Review alternative access channels to improve access for all.

10.3 Action plan for 2012/13 to provide accessibility

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date A1 Obtain accessibility accreditation for the Web Services April 2012 website. Manager A2 Investigate the business case for using Chief Officer: December inbound text messaging to communicate Customer Services 2012 with hearing impaired customers. A3 Investigate the business case for Chief Officer: December providing live web-chat facilities as an Customer Services 2012 alternative to the telephone, post and email channels. A6 Follow-up our request to Google to add Web Services June 2012 Nepali to their language options. Manager

Strategies for Specific Contact Channels

11. Web strategy

To provide a single, comprehensive, easy to access and up to date website that allows anyone to transact and interact with the council 24/7

11.1 Key Actions to deliver the web strategy

1. Promote the web site, and the mobile version of the website, as the main access point for the council’s services for information and transactional services, with the website address of www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk prominent on all published material and signage, as appropriate

2. Ensure that all web content is written in plain English, is easy to understand and meets accessibility accreditation

3. Ensure that all communications activity is replicated on the council’s website.

4. Where self-service opportunities exist, customers will be pro-actively encouraged to use them, raising awareness for ongoing contact by the customer

5. Increase the range of online transactional services available through the website

6. Increase the usability of our online systems to make them the channel of choice for simple or high volume transactions to promote channel shift

7. Pro-actively seek feedback from our staff and customers who • use on-line service through our website • abandon processes part way through the logging process

8. Develop and promote the use of online consultation

11.2 Key Performance Indicators

Bracknell Forest has had the highest percentage for resident take-up amongst unitary authorities for the past four years.

Percentage of local residents using the website 2008 2009 2010 2011 36.88% 35.28% 36.82% 41.73%

The following indicators are based on data for 2010/11 surveyed by SOCITM.

Cost per Spend on Number of Percentage of Net website website per website visits local residents satisfaction visit head of per month using the population website £0.16 £2.06 121,873 41.73% 45.17%

SOCITM summarises website good practice as a commitment to self-service, which depends on having a website that consistently delivers what the customer wants in terms of information and services. The website should be focused on achieving the customers’ top tasks consistently, right first time every time. The cost of avoidable failure is high as it leads to website visitors resorting to the much costlier phone, or even personal visit, for the resolution of their enquiries.

Bracknell spend more per head of population on web services and this will contribute to the percentage of local residents using the website, which is the highest across the country. The actively digital local population and the low cost per web visit when compared to other contact channels, demonstrates the value of undertaking a positive approach to channel shift to the most cost- effective channel.

The Council will maintain overall service excellence as evidenced by customer feedback, industry awards and SOCITM usability ratings.

A key aim is to increase unique visitors to our website by 10% over the life of this strategy.

11.3 Action plan for 2012/13 to deliver the web strategy

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date W1 Provide a single modern website and Chief Officer: April 2012 mobile website to make contacting the Customer Services council straightforward for everyone. W2 Review the web infrastructure in order Chief Officer: December to improve the resilience of the service Customer Services 2012 and ensure 24/7 availability W3 Develop and implement a “phase 2” of Chief Officer: March 2013 enhancements to follow the website re- Customer Services development. W4 Provide appropriate intuitive map based Web Services April 2012 interfaces to both transactional and Manager information systems W5 Investigate the business case for a Chief Officer: December secure authenticated self-service facility Customer Services 2012 for residents and customers. W6 Investigate the business case for Chief Officer: December integrating online transactions directly Customer Services 2012 into back office systems to prevent unnecessary entering of information, where appropriate. W7 Develop and implement an approach to Web Services December managing and presenting open data. Manager 2012

12. Telephony strategy

Minimise the volume of published phone numbers, ensuring those that are meet the Council’s service standards for response times reducing the quantity of calls our customers have to make

12.1 Key Actions to deliver the telephony strategy

1. Continue to provide one main phone number (352000) for the council which may be easily found in order to make contacting the council by phone straightforward for our residents and customers

2. The main number shall be supplemented by a “family of numbers” in a given number range (352001 to 352020) which may be used on published material

3. Provide automated telephony services, for some service areas, as appropriate

4. Continue to provide an “out of hours” emergency telephone service

5. Ensure consistency of response to customers, both in terms of content and style.

6. Use telephone call data and customer feedback to identify areas of improvement within the council and work to reduce avoidable contact, process failure and unnecessary cost to the Council or customers.

7. Undertake process reviews to establish where calls could be moved to the web channel and online self-service.

12.2 Key Performance Indicators

The following indicators are based on data for 2010/11 surveyed by SOCITM, and relate to phone calls to the council’s main number of 352000.

Cost per Spend per head Average Number of calls phone call to of population number of calls compared with the size 352000 per month of the local population £2.75 £3.59 12,500 10.9%

Average call Average length Abandoned Customer satisfaction waiting time of call calls 12 seconds 1.5 minutes 2% 93%

Bracknell Forest’s main telephone contact number of 352000 has lower than average costs per phone call. The number of calls per month is much lower, however the local population have a much less than average demand for the telephony service.

Because call waiting times are very low, it follows that so is the abandonment rate. A trial period during which response times are being regressed is taking place, in order to reduce staff costs and against a target of responding to 80% of calls to 352000 within 5 rings (or 13 seconds), current performance is 74.8%.

The Council will maintain overall service excellence as evidenced by customer feedback.

A key aim is to reduce the number of inbound phone calls by 10% over the life of this strategy.

Telephone calls shall be answered within set standards.

12.3 Action plan for 2012/13 to deliver the telephony strategy

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date T1 Implement automated telephony services, Chief Officer: December using speech recognition software for Customer 2012 service areas, where appropriate. Services T2 Increase the range of telephone enquiries Chief Officer: March 2013 able to be answered by Customer Customer Services, thereby releasing time spent by Services service areas. Registrars, Democratic Services, Rangers, Family Information Service, Bookings for internet sessions at libraries. T3 Monitor and measure telephone enquiries Individual service Quarterly to the main number and the family of area managers numbers. using the Netcall telephony system T4 Introduce libraries to the family of Chief Officer: December numbers. Customer 2012 Services/ Chief Officer: Leisure & Culture T5 Investigate extending the use of the Chief Officer: December Netcall telephony system to leisure. Customer 2012 Services/ Chief Officer: Leisure & Culture T6 Introduce Transport Services to the family Chief Officer: June 2012 of numbers and extend the use of the Customer Netcall telephony system to Transport Services/ Services Head of Operations Unit

13. New media strategy (including social media)

To develop and use new and emerging technologies, where appropriate, to enhance and support existing contact channels

13.1 Key actions to deliver the new media strategy

1. Use Twitter and Facebook to communicate with customers and service users, to respond to inbound customer comments and send proactive outbound news and information

2. Keep up to date with emerging technology and regularly review how it may be used to enhance the customer experience

13.2 Key Performance Indicators

Twitter Facebook January 2009 510 260 January 2010 945 480 January 2011 1,260 670 January 2012 2,724 1,326

3000

2500

2000 Twitter 1500 Facebook 1000

500

0 2009 2010 2011 2012

The greatest single month on month increase occurred in May 2011 as a result of communications about the Swinley Forest fires. This particular event certainly attracted many more residents to the benefits of social media and the growth has continued since. Comms & Marketing take the lead in the use of social media at the Council. SOCITM reported in February 2012 that across local authorities, over 70% responded that “the communications team is way out in front as leaders on social media”.

In December 2011, the results of the residents’ survey of Town & Country showed that when asked “how else do you like to receive council information”, social media showed an increase from 2% of respondents to 7%.

A key aim is to increase the number of followers on Twitter and Facebook by 10% per year.

13.3 Action plan for 2012/13 to deliver the new media strategy

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date NM1 Review and make recommendations on Head of Comms & July 2012 developing the use of new media Marketing channels including Twitter and Facebook. NM2 Include social media in the Head of Comms & July 2012 Communications Strategy. Marketing NM3 Review the current and future use, Chief Officer: December effectiveness and content of Digital TV Customer 2012 to test for value for money. Services NM4 Investigate the business case for the use Chief Officer: December of outbound text or email messages to Customer 2012 customers signing up for such a service. Services Chief Officer: Information Services NM5 Investigate the business case for the use Chief Officer: December of inbound text messaging. Customer 2012 Services Chief Officer: Information Services NM6 Investigate the business case for Chief Officer: December developing appropriate applications for Customer 2012 mobile phones including fault reporting Services and simple information provision, in accordance with the guidance provided at Appendix A. NM7 Implement Quick Response (QR) codes Head of Comms & March 2013 for Council services and information, in Marketing accordance with the guidance provided at Appendix B.

14. Face to face strategy

To maintain face to face service provision, either at reception areas or in the person’s own home and extend face to face services for vulnerable residents who have difficulty accessing services through other channels. To encourage channel shift from face to face services for those residents who are able to use other more cost-effective channels

14.1 Key actions to deliver the face to face strategy

1. Review the ability of face to face service users to access services by other channels and encourage service take-up by more cost-effective contact channels

2. Undertake process reviews to establish where reception enquiries could be moved to the telephone or web channel and online self-service.

3. Review the scope for providing services and information on a range of council and partner organisation services when vulnerable residents are engaged through face to face contact, either at a reception area or in the person’s own home.

4. Undertake process reviews to identify potential channel shift and quality improvements to our face to face service, including services used by vulnerable residents.

5. Undertake a review of face to face contact with vulnerable residents by various council service areas and partner organisations so that residents are able to access more than one service in one visit.

6. Continue to provide a town centre reception service during published opening hours, which has a clean, tidy, safe and comfortable environment and, wherever possible, somewhere to communicate in private.

7. Seek feedback from customers using the reception at Time Square north.

8. Continue to provide assisted access to the council’s website through our face to face staff

9. Provide face-to-face staff with the same level and quality of information via electronic means or using mobile technology if appropriate, reducing reliance on paper files and printed leaflets

10. Seek opportunities to share face to face provision with other organisations.

11. Ensure consistency of response to customers, in terms of content and style

14.2 Key Performance Indicators

The following indicators are based on data for 2010/11 surveyed by SOCITM, and relate to customer visits to the reception at Time Square north.

Cost per Spend per Number of Number of visits Waiting times visit to Time head of visits per compared with at reception in Square population month the size of the minutes reception local population £14.63 £3.42 2,233 1.9% 3 minutes

Opening hours are 42.5 hours per week, between 8.30am and 5pm. Bracknell Forest has one primary reception which is at Time Square north. In addition, we have Easthampstead House, which provide a smaller range of services, with much less customer visits.

Bracknell Forest has a high cost per visit but there is average spend on face to face reception services per head of population as a relatively low percentage of the population need services delivered face to face and we have low waiting times at reception.

Customers will be seen at the appointed time or, if we are delayed, will receive an explanation within 5 minutes of their appointment time, and be kept informed of any further delays.

Customers will be seen within set standards if they have no appointment, or be offered an appointment.

The numbers of visits to the primary reception at Time Square and the reason for the visits will be measured and monitored to establish where contacts could be shifted to an alternative channel.

A key aim is to reduce face to face enquiries at reception by 5% over the life of this strategy.

14.3 Action plan for 2012/13 to deliver the face to face strategy

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date F1 Implement the Accommodation Strategy Chief Officer: March 2013 and create one primary reception area for Customer customers at Time Square north. Services F2 Review the services provided at the Chief Officer: December council’s main town centre reception at Customer 2012 Time Square and aim to provide co- Services ordinated services to customers. F3 Implement online Benefit Services and Chief Officer: September make access available at the primary Housing 2012 reception at Time Square north. Chief Officer: Customer Services F4 Redesign benefit service via use of Chief Officer: September system thinking methodology to better Housing 2012 meet customer demand.

15. Post and paper communication strategy

To reduce the amount of post and paper communication by better promotional use of the website and electronic channels

15.1 Key actions to deliver the post and paper communication strategy

1. Provide a complete range of online forms on the website to minimise the amount of forms sent by post

2. Place all of our leaflets and information online in order to minimise printing, postage and storage costs

3. Use second class post as our main postal tariff to minimise costs.

4. Reduce the amount of internal post by encouraging staff to use email

5. Customers and professional partners are encouraged to contact us via electronic channels reducing the need for post or faxes.

6. Seek to reduce, then eliminate contact by fax.

7. Seek to reduce the circulation lists of paper documents, articles, magazines and printed material.

15.2 Action plan for 2012/13 to deliver the post and paper communication strategy

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date PP1 Produce, seek agreement to and Head of Comms & March 2013 implement a design and print Marketing management strategy. Head of Operations Chief Officer: Information Services All departments

16. email strategy

To reduce email demand by better use of online reporting alternatives which integrate directly into relevant systems

16.1 Key actions to deliver the email strategy

1. Promote online self-service to move contact from email to the website, as appropriate

2. Publish and promote web links to take customers directly to the established online reporting option

3. Include web links to the appropriate web page when responding by email

4. Service areas shall use and publish a group email address for the initial customer contact, shared by all relevant staff in the service area

5. Reduce the amount of internal post by encouraging staff to use email

16.2 Action plan for 2012/13 to deliver the email strategy

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date E1 Provide a complete range of online forms Web Services March 2013 to minimise the amount of emails Manager handled. E2 Analyse the data for the use of online Chief Officer: March 2013 forms and determine which contacts Customer could be shifted to online self-service. Services E3 Obtain email addresses for customers, Chief Officer: March 2013 where possible, to support channel shift Customer from post to email. Services

17. Payment strategy

Provide a range of payment channels whilst encouraging payment by direct debit and other electronic means, such as online or by BACS

17.1 Key actions to deliver the payment strategy

1. Provide a range of payment channels for use by customers

2. Payment by direct debit is actively promoted on the website and on all published material

3. Encourage recurring payments to be paid by direct debit

4. Customers are able to arrange payment by direct debit online or by phone

5. Encourage one-off payments to be made by credit card or debit card using the online payment facility

6. The range of bills, invoices and services able to be paid online are continually extended

7. A self-service payment facility shall be provided at town centre receptions

8. Where a refund is being made to a customer whose initial payment was made using online payments, the refund shall be made directly to the customer’s credit card or debit card.

17.2 Key Performance Indicators

The amount of money paid and the number of transactions through online payments increases year on year.

17.3 Action plan for 2012/13 to deliver the payment strategy

Ref. Action Owner Delivery Date P1 Develop a seamless application and Web Services March 2013 payment process by linking the form Manager completion and payment processes and identify forms where payment integration can be added. P2 All major payment channels are reviewed Borough March 2013 to establish demand and customer Treasurer preference, and customers are actively encouraged to change their payment channel to the most cost effective method of payment.

APPENDIX A

Mobile Apps - Guidance

A fully mobile version of the council’s public website will be available from April 2012. The new mobile version of the website will automatically detect the device being used to access it and will present information in a format suitable for mobile phones.

The mobile version of the website is the Council’s preferred option for delivering information to mobile devices.

Mobile app development is only suitable for delivering interactive services which will utilise the strengths inherent in mobile app tech

Mobile app development should only be considered for interactive applications which fully utilise the strengths of mobile app technology, for example:

• Utilise geo-location services to present data specific to the current position of an individual using a mobile phone • Enable mobile phone users to transact with the Council (eg provide the ability to apply, book, report or feedback on Council services and where possible to present their exact location, either through submitting a photo or pinpointing their location on a map) • Provide real-time service updates and alerts

Apps – SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Accessible – Apps can be downloaded on the move. • Affordable – Most apps are low cost or free and so are affordable for users. • Easy to use – Apps are generally easy to use using standard phone functionality. • Customisable – Most apps can deliver information, data, maps and services tailored to the needs of the user, their location and time of access. • Popular – Apps are hugely popular with users of all ages. • Portable – Apps allow users to access and request your services whilst on the move. • Wide reach and availability - 91% of people in the UK own a mobile phone - 27% of adults and 47% of teenagers own a smartphone - 81% of smartphone users have their mobile switched on all the time - 47% of adult smartphone users have downloaded an app

Weaknesses

• Multiple platforms and devices – Apps need to be developed to work on multiple platforms, the major ones being:

- iOS from Apple Inc - Android from Google Inc - Blackberry OS from RIM - Symbian OS from the Symbian Foundation - Windows Phone from Microsoft

It is not sufficient to deploy an app on a single platform as it will alienate users on other platforms. So, for example, if you develop an app for iPhone only you can expect a negative response from Android phone users. • Costly to develop – Apps can be costly to develop, largely because they currently require high level skills to develop. • Not all mobile devices are equal – There are significant variations between mobile devices and browsers which need to be considered when developing apps. For example, a camera is a major differentiator between an iPhone and iPod touch/iPad. Also mobile functionality will vary depending on the version of the operating system installed on a device. • Software updates have to be initiated by users – Apps users have to make a conscious effort to update any apps in their possession. Users who fail to carry out updates may therefore be using older versions with issues which prevent them from using an app effectively. • Subject to internet availability – Many apps require smartphones to be connected to the internet to function. Internet availability on the move can often be variable, particularly in rural areas. • Competitive market – Smartphone users are likely to be tech savvy and have high expectations.

Opportunities

• Development costs will reduce over time – Developing apps in HTML5 and CSS frameworks is likely to increase over time and reduce costs as this will open up app development to the wider web development community. • Internet connectivity improvements – Ongoing improvements to internet connectivity and speed will help to improve users’ experience of apps on the move. Increased availability of free Wifi will also help and encourage app usage. • Encouraging others to develop apps by providing access to Open Data - There is a growth in making data available to others and to encourage them to develop apps for local authorities using Open Data. Local authorities such as Kent, Warwickshire and Bristol have organised competitions and open data ‘hack’ events to engage with local developers.

Threats

• Speed of change – The speed of change in the mobile market is as great as its growth. App functionality is constantly developing and it will be challenging to keep pace with these changes with a limited budget.

Mobile Apps - Top Tips

a. Don’t commission an app without doing at least some research and understanding how apps work on a variety of mobile devices. b. Understand the common elements across devices so that your app has the maximum reach. c. Develop a clear specification of requirements and features for an app. d. Apps with simple designs and good functionality are likely to do well. e. Use standard controls – commonplace means familiarity and ease for your audience. f. Research your audience and understand their requirements before building an app – for example through surveys or social media. g. Skills required to develop an app include product management, design and software development. Make sure that the supplier that you commission to develop your app is strong in all these elements. h. Vet app suppliers through referrals and client references – don’t use someone who can’t reference any existing work. i. Make sure the app supplier you choose has an understanding of how to integrate with back end systems (if this is a requirement for your app). Suppliers should not just be able to do 'pretty user interfaces'. j. Make sure any back end systems that are built by an app supplier are secure and comply with EU and British Government requirements for transportation and storage of data. Some types of data may not be legally allowed to be off- shored. Encryption of personal data to AES256 bit standards (banking levels). k. Make sure that if the app hooks into backend systems that you consider a test environment and a specific test build of the app (backend system as well). l. Ensure that your app supplier adds analytics to your app to obtain detailed usage statistics. m. Ensure your app developer follows W3C app development guidelines (see below) n. Get the user experience right first before making it look attractive – so ensure that a developer focuses on functionality first rather than design (look and feel). o. Make sure any corporate requirements are met, i.e colour schemes, fonts, naming conventions, acronyms etc. p. Don’t rely on app download figures as a measure of success as many people will download your app, take a look and never use it again. q. Testing is essential and a clear test plan must be included in any development. r. Ensure that an app is ‘beta’ tested before launch. s. Ensure that new apps are registered as belonging to Bracknell Forest Council.* t. Develop a roadmap for your app as once released there will almost certainly need to be bug fixes and feature enhancements.

* Bracknell Forest Council is currently registered as an iOS (Apple app) publisher. The registration was made on behalf of the Council by Jayne Ward, e+ Development Manager, and can be used by any other service planning to develop an app.

W3C Mobile Web Application Best Practices

Ensure your app supplier follows W3C mobile web application best practices. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web. The guidelines are available at http://w3.org/TR/mwabp

APPENDIX B

QR Codes

What is a QR code?

QR codes, or quick response codes, are similar to traditional bar codes in that they encode information in a two-dimensional image. A typical QR code can include approximately 7,000 numeric characters, or 4,000 alphanumeric characters. The purpose is to quickly connect smartphone owners with deeper information about an organisation, service or product.

Here are some advantages to using QR codes:

• Simple, fast, and inexpensive to create and distribute • Connects people with detailed information • Smartphones with QR code readers are becoming increasingly common

What information can you generate in a QR code?

Some examples of what a QR code can include are:

• URLs • Text • Phone numbers • Complete contact information • SMS text messages • Calendar events • An email address • A geographic map location

How are QR codes created?

There are a number of free online programmes which can be used to generate QR codes:

• Google ZXing - http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/ (Content types: URL, text, phone number, SMS, email, geolocation) • QR Stuff - http://www.qrstuff.com/ (Content types: URL, text, phone number, SMS, email, Facebook, YouTube) • KAYWA - http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ (Content types: URL, text, phone number, SMS)

QR codes best practise

• Inform your audience of what to expect when they scan the code. • Your QR code should be no smaller than 1.25 inch by 1.25 inch (3.8 by 3.8 cm). • Make sure the destination is mobile friendly. You don't want them to land on a web page that does not render correctly using a mobile phone. • Black on a white background works best. Otherwise, test it to make sure there’s enough contrast. • Always test the QR code before displaying or printing it. Test it with different phones and different scanner apps to make sure it works as you intend it to. • Use a URL shortening service, such as bitly to shorten an existing URL and track usage - https://bitly.com

Possible uses of QR codes

• Add to posters, leaflets or newsletters to direct people to associated web content. • Add larger versions of QR codes to the front of buildings to provide contact information or associated web content for a given location. • Add to service locations to provide additional information or to enable them to transact online (eg place a QR code on lamp post taking people directly to a form enabling them to report a faulty street light) • Use for targeted promotions or discounts to encourage service take-up. • Add to parks / countryside or other leisure locations to provide guiding or supply information about local wildlife.

Local authority examples

• Torridge : Planning site notices http://www.torridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=7289 • Hertfordshire County Council :Road work information http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/9198108.Council_trials_QR_codes_f or_road_work_information/ • Shropshire Council : Promoting tourism through QR codes linked to online text, audio and video about specific locations - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk- england-14144014 • Aylesbury Vale : Community safety - to promote personal safety through messages which range from safe drinking to getting home safely and using licensed taxis - http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/community- living/community-safety/crime-disorder/crime-reduction-initiatives/quick- response-codes/ • Islington Council : Pay by phone parking http://www.islington.gov.uk/transport/roadsandparking/parking/where_to_park /short_stay_parking.asp • Hart District Council : Leisure posters providing a direct link to a booking form for a course - http://www.hart.gov.uk/index/intranet/intranet-news/intranet- corporate/intranet-corporate-online-resources/intranet-resources-qr- codes.htm